Chapter 19

Getting back to the original problem, I sent to the computer, "I will now help, but I have a condition that has to be met, first."

The computer mind spoke, "That is contradictory. For I see, in your mind, that you would do anything to help."

"Irregardless, I want unlimited access to the base tug."

"That cannot be granted. The intelligence in the ship has to accept you, independently."

"Will you recommend me to the ship?"

"That is acceptable. It is done. The ship has accepted you." That was quick. I looked at the women around me.

"Is there any danger to the base and people, that is not being addressed properly?"

"The fuel stockpiles of Lithium are low. The requisition sent to the main lunar base, has not been processed."

"I can work on that," I sent. "What is the minimum amount that is needed?"

"Eight and five twelfths kilograms would suffice."

"A training station, like the one that gave me my education, is required outside the base. It must have a secure access to this base's computer. Can this be done?"

"I see that you want the unit in the place you now inhabit with the base personnel. We do not have the resources to provide access, or the training centre, now. The unit itself, may be moved. I will make the necessary alterations to the system. However, it cannot function, without more extensive work being done."

"That's fine. I will begin work as soon as possible." It was difficult to negotiate with a machine, when it knew everything that I was thinking. The thoughts of a computer, that bordered on intelligence, with a high order program aborting itself and committing suicide, was even more difficult to understand.

We left, and walked in the direction of the tug. I wanted to get a new look at it. From my days in an American university; I knew this small tug was both one and a half times the length and the width of a football field, and almost twenty stories high. If this was a small, slow ship, I could not visualize one that was large.

I was sore, and needed to walk some of the pain from my limbs. It had been a long time since I lost a fight like this, and I expected it to feel humiliating. The contrary was actually true. My team had won, and this made all the difference. I needed more effort to exercise my muscles. I walked around the perimeter of the entire main floor. It was almost twenty two hundred metres long, by about six hundred wide. Even the softest sound was returned, but much later than I would have expected. I had to talk, to overcome the feeling of being so much in the open. This had never happened when outside, and only occurred now, knowing that this base was so large.

"What will happen to those women after they get out of the stasis pods?"

Blue replied first, "The base commander will have to judge them. I think that their candasu will be broken up, and each will be given solitary jobs. Sometimes, harsher sentences are handed down; but that, I heard, is rare. I can only talk from my studying, because this has never happened, during my lifetime."

I thought for a while on this and then about their previous actions. "I find that all of you are less demanding than you should be. If you want something from a machine, demand it. Do not just ask. You girls are just a little bit too nice."

"I will try to remember that, Husband," came from Chris. I had to laugh at the comeback, when remembering how hard she fought. Nova steered us over to the medical section. Each of us were treated for minor abrasions, contusions, and sore muscles and ligaments.

After all of us were done, Nova said, "Let's get the job we came here for, done. I want to go home." After she said it, a smile came to her face at the truth of her statement.

As we came into the garage, all of the girls went to what they were doing before they were interrupted by the malcontents. The girls spread out, and started working in the vehicles, much like Nova had been doing the night before. They would bend over, or climb underneath, exposing themselves to my eyes. I began to let my mind wander. The urge was strong to get behind each, thrust into their tight holes, and make them and myself cum. Again, I must have been broadcasting; for they twitched, as they too visualized the encounter.

"Sorry," was all I could say.

They made unmistakable movements of their hips, much like an Earth girl would when she sees her man. I guess the old statement about turnabout being fair play was true, if uncomfortable. I closed my eyes to help me concentrate, but it was difficult. Blue's comment on base commander did need a little clarification.

"By the way, how is a leader chosen?"

"The same way that is in your mind. People are nominated, and a vote of eligible adults is taken," came from Blue. "Will you help me carry these over to the far wall, so I can run tests on them?"

We all carried various devices, and followed Blue. Two benches came out of the wall and another out of the floor as we approached. Our burdens were placed down and all of them hooked up to devices on the bench. The area around the benches darkened and a diagnostic program started on each. Details in Tandra script attested to its serial number, total hours of employment, and the estimated mean time before the next failure.

Chris and Nova had to go back to find other units, to replace some of those that they thought were not up to specifications. All I could do is watch and read their minds, for I could not read any of the script yet.

"Is there a machine, that will bore through rock, to our house, so that we don't have to go out when it is snowing or cold?"

"How big of a tunnel did you want? If it is not too big, the small machine in the far corner with the long arm, will make a tunnel easily. If there were any energy to spare."

"Is there also a way to furnish the tunnel with lights and power? I got permission to move a teaching chair and a screen, over to the house."

Blue paused for a minute or so. I was ready to say something more, when she started, "There is a unit that will attach to the end of that unit. It can spray a finish, to keep the tunnel waterproof. It will be strong enough to keep it from caving in. An energy conduit might be laid at the same time. How are you going to get the lithium, to power up the base?"

"I have a program to write and deliver. If I phone ahead, I can find someone to sell me the metal. If I am lucky, I can do both at the same time. How long will it be, till you are done here?"

"If these two units prove suitable, then we can go soon. Will you help us carry these?" Blue asked.

Then as a joke I asked, "Don't you have any anti-gravity units, to transport them?"

"Yes, we do. But they would need to get powered up, first." That served me right, for assuming that they would not have them.

On the way back, I saw a flight of three military copters flying to the north, about ten kilometres away. I would not have noticed them, except the surrounding hills funnelled the sound directly to me.

When we got back to the house, it was three thirty, and possibly too late to put in an order. I was in luck. Ralston Metals, in Toronto; had ten kilogram units of metallic lithium, for ten thousand dollars each. They would be open Monday, and I asked if they would have the shipment at their docks. Patterson Chemicals would pay then. I had felt a little odd about using my name, and made up the fictitious one on the spot, and another one for the company.

Once the phone call was over, Nova told everyone how I had confronted the computer, and wrung out a concession from it. Then Blue started to tell about the fight, downplaying all of our parts. It was like a bomb going off. From all around, questions were thrown at us. I left the answers to the girls, as we were scanned for any injuries.

When it became my turn, I said verbally, "Well, I have to tell you that I had the meanest two grandmothers anyone ever heard about. I am happy they and Chris were around, to save my ass."

The girls crowded around both of us. I felt very happy to have helped, even though it was to my benefit that the original problem had started. They also heard about my plans for getting the lithium fuel.

Susan went with Kitten, Sandy, and Star; to get Susan, her time in the tutor. This time, knowing that they would not be harassed. I retreated to my office, and started writing the program I had promised Blair. Half way done, I felt the girls hunger, and left the computer to start supper.

As I got to the kitchen, I smelled something good. A large roast was just being put into the oven, from the microwave. Chris and Nova were pealing potatoes and carrots. Blue was guiding the young girls in how to set the table. Out the window, the first white flakes of snow were just starting to cover the ground. Looking across the landscape, I saw a pickup winding its way through the trees, to the back of the house. I felt the girls in the truck were upset, and even frightened.

Taking my jacket, I went outside, and waited for their arrival. The truck pulled up, and started to slip on the freshly fallen snow. Susan got out, and hugged me tight.

"What's wrong?"

She was so upset that it was hard to tell what the matter was. "A bear tried to climb into the culvert as we were leaving. We were so afraid. It ran off into the bushes. I think it will be back, looking for a place to den up for the winter.

Kitten added, "Susan ran, and yelled at the bear, to scare it away. She even threw rocks at it. I don't know what we would have done, if the bear looked at us as food."

"That was very brave of you Susan. The bear could have killed or hurt any and all of you. I could go and shoot it, but I am trying to get a tunnel dug to the house. That will make going outside unnecessary. Then we won't have to kill the bear."

Sandy and Star held Susan's hands, and looked up at their heroine. As I had told Susan before: 'there is nobody else that I would trust with our family.'

We all walked into the house. We found the rest of the family, eagerly awaiting the details of this adventure, so soon after the last.

I went downstairs into my workroom. I made a twelve-volt circuit, to put a pulsating voltage to an automotive coil, from a riding lawn mower. With some bare, and insulated wire, I headed out to the culvert. I placed the wire in front of the opening. The car battery from the lights beside the pipe and one switch, were close to the entrance to the mine. Another was inside the far end of the conduit.

I could do better. But it would be easier on the bear, and us, if this went up first. If the conduit had to stay, then I would have to go to a co-op, and get insulators and do the job right.

I drove slowly, and with the windows down. A small nagging worry made me roll the window down. Very faintly, and coming from the south, was another flight of military choppers. The sound had been very reassuring in Nam, but did not feel so now, for some reason.

When I got back, I pictured exactly what I had done, so the others would not get shocked by the high voltage. "Remember to not only shut it off, but the last person has to turn it back on." The girls continued to discuss their adventure, not quite over the shock of seeing the predator, eye to eye.

I had almost finished the program, when I was called to eat. I got up and stretched, before heading to the dining room. I found the fireplace well stocked with wood, and all the lights were off. The rooms were lit by the fire, and the candles in the middle of the dining room table. The food and everything were set, and each girl stood behind her chair waiting for me to sit. It felt too odd for me to do it this way, so I went around the table, and sat each of my girls. As I sat; I remembered not too long ago, when only Chris and Kitten sat at the table. And they were ready to fight one another.

"Thank you, Ladies, for all your hard work in making this a beautiful meal. And thanks to those others that did all the work, to make the house look, and feel like a home."

All the ladies chatted mentally, as we ate the meal. The food seemed better than usual, probably something to do with my heightened senses. The food was so good, that I think I overate a little.

When the conversation lagged, I asked, "Have you ladies given much thought to which one of you is to be the new commander of the base? I think you should decide quickly, because I would like to get a lot more food in. I want to start awakening the people we need, to get the base up and running. By the time I am trained, too much time will have passed."

Susan said, "We were thinking the same thing. There is a list of people, and their skills. However, some of the top people are very conservative, and may not like the thought of 'savages', running around the base. We thought to let those continue sleeping. There are a lot of tech people, like Blue, that could be a great help if they co-operated. A little over two hundred people, would give us some selection, at least."

As the dishes were washed, and everything was put away, I finished the program. I ran it through my mind, like a computer, and found no mistakes or inconsistencies. After burning two copies onto CD's, I headed out to see what the rest of the family was doing.

The worry had returned. I felt no threat yet, but something was not right. Perhaps a prisoner had escaped from custody, or the military was conducting some manoeuvres.

The 'Sand People' were just being chased away from Luke Skywalker, by an old Jedi Knight, on the television. Blue was laughing. She had seen the same thing, in an old entertainment package; that had been sent to the base, when it was being built.

After the movie finished they discussed the weapons, and the aliens. The ray guns were much too slow and weak. The 'light sabre' was similar to one of their tools. But one beam did not deflect the other, nor make any noise. The blade length of the Tandra tool was at least twice as long. The 'Death Star' was actually smaller than the Tandra matter transmitter, that they had built, and in a different shape entirely. The large imperial ships though were similar to what the Tandra used.

Blue sent, "And did you see those Wandue, playing the musical instruments, in the bar. They were not only the wrong colour, but they could not play, if their life depended on it."

I asked, "How many civilized races have the Tandra ran across?"

Nova answered because she knew more on the subject. "There are too many, the computer may know. Some have died off, and others have advanced to a higher level, since the base was built. As a rule of thumb; one in every seventy-three Star systems, like Sofaas, has a habitable planet. Of those, about four in twelve have a race that is considered intelligent. About three in twelve of those, will be advanced enough for space travel."

"Nova, what is Sofaas?"

"Your star of course. This planet is Sofaas III."

"Of the number of races that can fly between the stars, how many are aggressive, towards planets they run across?"

"I think about two in twelve, for the ones that have this ability. About half, for those that cannot reach space."

"Why is it that we have not met any of those races? By your math, one in five thousand stars in this galaxy, would have a warlike race capable of finding us."

"I worked in 'system security'. The records show the computer has repelled many twelve's of incursions into this system. Some may have been simply traders, but others surely were not. Nothing was too serious, or the defences would not have been able to protect this world."

This shocked Susan and me. Susan asked, "What did you do, to chase them away?"

"There are buoys, which warn all approaching ships, that they are approaching a Tandra controlled area. If they do not veer off, then weapons are fired at them. Lately (that is, in the last hundred thousand years; the reports say that we have had to use many more than usual, because they have misfired because of their age. Making new weapons should be done, as soon as the present crisis is over."

"What type of weapons do we have to defend the system?" I mindspoke now.

"There are the simple thermal rays, that will destroy meteors, or just cut them up for the refinery. Mines are scattered throughout the system, but stay in another set of dimensions until something comes close. The mines then enter these dimensions, form a globular field, and send parts of the trapped ship, back to the dimensions they just came from. Then we have a type of missile, that does the same thing as the mines."

"Are there any other kinds?"

"Oh, yes. Their technique, range, and power, all vary."

"Can the tug be used for any offensive action?"

"Not likely; considering it's slow speed, and lack of weapons."

"How fast can it go? I am sure that we could strap on a platform that carries missiles, or tow them behind."

"I think it was only capable of a little over four hundred gravities, without a tow; and about a hundred, when pulling about twelve to the eleventh power in kilograms. When it makes a transition, empty, it can only make about two hundred times the speed of light. You should either ask the tug, or the computer, to be sure."